The Perpetual Fitness Thread

I did that with squats a couple weeks ago, and damn near toppled over...used a 10 instead of 25 on one side...I guess thats the downside of morning workouts without proper caffeination...

Got back in the pool for a bit this morning, and it felt good...made sure the toe was locked tight to its neighbor and did a 20 minute swim...as iko mentioned, the frog kick felt really good...I love swimming.

I've been having problems pushing beyond 265 on my deadlifts, having been stuck there for a couple of weeks as my last set I have been unable to hit 5 lifts.

Following my own mini-rule of not increasing weight until I get them ALL right, I've stayed there.

So yesterday I hit it again, and resolve that this time I'm GOING to do it. 3x5, clean and proper deadlifts.

I warm up, I get in, and I feel freaking great. I'm powering that weight up.

I bang out my three sets, then I look down. Instead of putting 2x10 plates on each side, I absentmindedly had put on 1x5 and 1x10, making it 255. Unintentional deload!

Ah well, it's probably for the best.

I seem to be having trouble breaking past the 260+ range though. Over-under grip, no gloves, no straps. Point of failure is always either grip or back muscles (if it's my back I'll quit before the weight leaves the ground. I ain't chancing that).

When's the last time you took a break? Maybe take a week or two off deads (or, if you really must do them, do them really light and concentrate on form). See if your library has a copy of Power to the People by Pavel. Good stuff in there about waviness of load.

I've been having problems pushing beyond 265 on my deadlifts, having been stuck there for a couple of weeks as my last set I have been unable to hit 5 lifts.

Following my own mini-rule of not increasing weight until I get them ALL right, I've stayed there.

So yesterday I hit it again, and resolve that this time I'm GOING to do it. 3x5, clean and proper deadlifts.

I warm up, I get in, and I feel freaking great. I'm powering that weight up.

I bang out my three sets, then I look down. Instead of putting 2x10 plates on each side, I absentmindedly had put on 1x5 and 1x10, making it 255. Unintentional deload!

Ah well, it's probably for the best.

I seem to be having trouble breaking past the 260+ range though. Over-under grip, no gloves, no straps. Point of failure is always either grip or back muscles (if it's my back I'll quit before the weight leaves the ground. I ain't chancing that).

When's the last time you took a break? Maybe take a week or two off deads (or, if you really must do them, do them really light and concentrate on form). See if your library has a copy of Power to the People by Pavel. Good stuff in there about waviness of load.

I'm just coming off a deload where I went down to 225 and built to 260, after I couldn't break past 255. My form is holding, for the most part, mostly because I'm concentrating on making sure I never break form, even if the weight doesn't go up as much I'd prefer. (IE, I put form over ego. If it doesn't feel right I quit or lower weight)

It's just frustrating that I'm facing another deload so soon . And a bit of a facepalm that things felt so good, but because I failed at math.

I've been having problems pushing beyond 265 on my deadlifts, having been stuck there for a couple of weeks as my last set I have been unable to hit 5 lifts.

Following my own mini-rule of not increasing weight until I get them ALL right, I've stayed there.

So yesterday I hit it again, and resolve that this time I'm GOING to do it. 3x5, clean and proper deadlifts.

I warm up, I get in, and I feel freaking great. I'm powering that weight up.

I bang out my three sets, then I look down. Instead of putting 2x10 plates on each side, I absentmindedly had put on 1x5 and 1x10, making it 255. Unintentional deload!

Ah well, it's probably for the best.

I seem to be having trouble breaking past the 260+ range though. Over-under grip, no gloves, no straps. Point of failure is always either grip or back muscles (if it's my back I'll quit before the weight leaves the ground. I ain't chancing that).

When's the last time you took a break? Maybe take a week or two off deads (or, if you really must do them, do them really light and concentrate on form). See if your library has a copy of Power to the People by Pavel. Good stuff in there about waviness of load.

I'm just coming off a deload where I went down to 225 and built to 260, after I couldn't break past 255. My form is holding, for the most part, mostly because I'm concentrating on making sure I never break form, even if the weight doesn't go up as much I'd prefer. (IE, I put form over ego. If it doesn't feel right I quit or lower weight)

It's just frustrating that I'm facing another deload so soon . And a bit of a facepalm that things felt so good, but because I failed at math.

Eat more? When I got to 3x5@265 squats and 1x5@305 DLs I started stalling because I was eating like a dieter, not a lifter.

Specifically, I'd like to work on my upper body a bit, but squats take a good bit of my energy. I'm thinking of reducing my overall volume of squats at max weight while basically continuing as normal for my presses and pulls. I.e. instead of doing 3x5 I'll go down to 1x5.

Hmm... Running 5-3-1 for squats might be a viable option as well... Complicated on paper, but since I don't compete for gym space I can take whatever time I need...

Started a deload week over the weekend. Apparently I had made more progress on my hips than my ankles, since I got down into the hole, and went really deep! Went deeper than my ankles could handle, hit the hole and just about went over backwards when I ran out of ankle range! Somehow managed to recover, stood it up, but in the process wacked my hand against the rack (taking a chunk of skin out of right ring finger) and by the time I got to the top I was so unbalanced that I dumped the end plate off the right ride!

It was a wild ride! Impressed me to know I could recover from that, really thought I was going to land on my head for an instant there. Also impressed that a 10lb plate slamming into my cabinets did not even make a dent or scratch the finish!

Specifically, I'd like to work on my upper body a bit, but squats take a good bit of my energy. I'm thinking of reducing my overall volume of squats at max weight while basically continuing as normal for my presses and pulls. I.e. instead of doing 3x5 I'll go down to 1x5.

Hmm... Running 5-3-1 for squats might be a viable option as well... Complicated on paper, but since I don't compete for gym space I can take whatever time I need...

Doesn't need to be complicated, use the Black Iron Beast 5/3/1 Calculator to plan your sets. My routine is a 5/3/1 variation that only uses weeks 1 & 3 (similar to "Karl's method"). Keeps things in somewhat of a linear progression when compared to "normal" 5/3/1.

Just wasn't feeling it at the gym today. Ate like crap all weekend, and it showed today. Even though I was back into my routine for eating today, I was still off on timing (three hours later than normal at the gym). Definately shows how important eating and sticking to a routine is. Hopefully the rest of the week feels better.

Specifically, I'd like to work on my upper body a bit, but squats take a good bit of my energy. I'm thinking of reducing my overall volume of squats at max weight while basically continuing as normal for my presses and pulls. I.e. instead of doing 3x5 I'll go down to 1x5.

Hmm... Running 5-3-1 for squats might be a viable option as well... Complicated on paper, but since I don't compete for gym space I can take whatever time I need...

Doesn't need to be complicated, use the Black Iron Beast 5/3/1 Calculator to plan your sets. My routine is a 5/3/1 variation that only uses weeks 1 & 3 (similar to "Karl's method"). Keeps things in somewhat of a linear progression when compared to "normal" 5/3/1.

Thanks for reminding me about that. I mostly meant that it's more complicated than "add 5 lbs", but that makes the numbers easy to grab.

I cut my squats to a single heavy set today and did some chins at bodyweight. I've been doing pull-ups with bands and it seems to be helping. Chins were much easier than last time I did them and I haven't lost any weight.

So it turns out I'm an idiot who was doing deadlifts all wrong, which probably resulted in hurting my back a couple of weeks ago. My knees were too bent, my backside was too low, and my knees were over the bar. This meant that I was doing some kind of godawful squat thing where the first movement was trying to get the bar around my knees, rather than pushing up through my glutes and bending at the waist. The fact that my chest was nowhere near over the bar also resulted in epic bad form.

Knees should be over the bar for a standard deadlift. Legwise, it basically IS a squat, just with a shorter range of motion (you do start higher than the bottom of a squat, but motion through the range is the same) and weight suspended rather than resting on your back. As you come up, your legs will straighten out and move out of the way. Making sure your shoulders are out in front of the bar at setup ensures that the bar can travel in a straight line on its way up, and holding the bar as close to centerline as possible (drag it up your legs) helps use the spine in compression, where it's very strong, rather than shear, where it is weak.

Even as an amateur, I know to try an minimize bending at the waist for deadlifts. That's a recipe for badly messing up your lower back.

Well, you don't want your back completely vertical. What you don't want is your back to be curved...IE: your core muscles should be tight and holding the spine straight. If you can't do that, then lower the weight.

Even as an amateur, I know to try an minimize bending at the waist for deadlifts. That's a recipe for badly messing up your lower back.

Well, you don't want your back completely vertical. What you don't want is your back to be curved...IE: your core muscles should be tight and holding the spine straight. If you can't do that, then lower the weight.

Very specifically: lock the lumbar, pull your shoulders back / push your chest out, and drive with your glutes down through your legs and out your feet. The only purpose for your hands, arms, shoulders, and back at all during the deadlift are to act as anchors for the weight.

If that is at all non-specific or even adding to the confusion: watch videos on this over and over again and you'll see what I'm saying.

Knees should be over the bar for a standard deadlift. Legwise, it basically IS a squat, just with a shorter range of motion (you do start higher than the bottom of a squat, but motion through the range is the same) and weight suspended rather than resting on your back. As you come up, your legs will straighten out and move out of the way. Making sure your shoulders are out in front of the bar at setup ensures that the bar can travel in a straight line on its way up, and holding the bar as close to centerline as possible (drag it up your legs) helps use the spine in compression, where it's very strong, rather than shear, where it is weak.

So Craig's list has a Hoist V 5 for 350$ Do I want that? Right now the only work out equipment I have are a deck of cards, some grippers, and a large rock in a sand pit(I may add some bricks when the landscaping in the front is done). oh and a large round ball for ab work.It would be nice to have something for pull downs, it would also be nice to have something that is indoors (the large rock is not). a 200lb stack sounds very light though. This doesn't have the leg press. I know last year I saw one of these with leg press go for 250$ in short order.

I do not have a lot of space and my ceiling is 84" where this would go.

Knees should be over the bar for a standard deadlift. Legwise, it basically IS a squat, just with a shorter range of motion (you do start higher than the bottom of a squat, but motion through the range is the same) and weight suspended rather than resting on your back. As you come up, your legs will straighten out and move out of the way. Making sure your shoulders are out in front of the bar at setup ensures that the bar can travel in a straight line on its way up, and holding the bar as close to centerline as possible (drag it up your legs) helps use the spine in compression, where it's very strong, rather than shear, where it is weak.

I think your interpretation is a bit… off. A deadlift is not a squat. If you're deadlifting like a squat, you're doing it wrong.

That's not super far off of an interpretation, though. In both movements, the load is borne at the shoulders (creating a similar lever arm through the torso), teh torso is locked in a solid neutral position, and the power is coming primarily from the quads, glutes, and hamstrings. What creates the primary difference in motion is foot position. So, while the deadlift isn't just a degenerate squat, it does have a bunch of similar queues.

5k fun run today, finished in an unofficial 24:10, so not too bad. Walked back along the course .8 mi and met my kids and escorted them to the finish, for a total of 4.9mi in under an hour. Next weekend is the 10k I've been looking forward to all year, through residential neighborhoods and it's like one big block party the whole way. My BIL lives .3 from the finish, so the tentative plan is to finish in under an hour with a beer in my hand...

We needed to replace the light in our pool, so I went out there and did it.

I get in there, unscrew the housing, and bring it to the deck to start work on it. All going well. SPROING! The spring holding the gasket tight decides to launch the washer and nut holding it tight right into the pool! YAY! 20 minutes of diving and searching! WOO!

So I finally recover the bits, replace the light, reassemble the housing...all while having to compress this ass off a spring against a fresh gasket, when I note that the gasket doesn't look right. Crap. So I pull it apart and SPROING! DIVE TIME AGAIN!

*sigh*

At least I got it done. And I suppose swimming and spring compression make for a decent workout

Ran some sprints with the wife yesterday. Haven't run in a couple of years. Ow.

Sprints are really intensive, both physically and especially with respect to the central nervous system. Much like any intense exercise, make sure you ease yourself into it and give yourself plenty of time to recover before doing it again. If you really haven't run in years, wait at least a week before sprinting again.

Ran some sprints with the wife yesterday. Haven't run in a couple of years. Ow.

Sprints are really intensive, both physically and especially with respect to the central nervous system. Much like any intense exercise, make sure you ease yourself into it and give yourself plenty of time to recover before doing it again. If you really haven't run in years, wait at least a week before sprinting again.

Sage advice. I've been doing barbell complexes for a while, so I'm not completely de-conditioned, but these were crazy. They're definitely a 'once a week or less' thing since Alabama air in the summer is roughly the temperature and consistency of soup.

Ran for the first time since I was diagnosed with runners knee. 1.7 miles in roughly 20 minutes. Was some walking in there. I wore my brace and stretched before and after. Feels OK today. Might ice tonight and take it easy till hiking on saturday.

Does anyone know if REI would sell me 2 different sized shoes? My left is half a size bigger so I buy for it, but I think wearing the wrong size right is contributing to post-gym right knee and hip pain.

Stores generally tell me no, I have to buy a same set, but I've never tried REI and I hear they aim to please.

^ I've purchased differing-sized shoes from them before without issue; what helped was to ask them for the other shoe from the single they have on display, and maybe swap one out for another if you need a different size.*

Bah, week 11 into my workout regimen, gained 6lbs since my last weigh-in. I’ve been doing a ton of cardio – about an hour, 4 times a week. I was feeling pretty good after last week, having lost at total of 18lbs at that point. I guess I’m back to net 12lbs.

Bah, week 11 into my workout regimen, gained 6lbs since my last weigh-in. I’ve been doing a ton of cardio – about an hour, 4 times a week. I was feeling pretty good after last week, having lost at total of 18lbs at that point. I guess I’m back to net 12lbs.

Oh, well, back to the regularly scheduled salad.

You sure you didn't put back on water or add muscle? Just going by body weight can be deceiving.

Last week I had two good workouts and one horrible one, the horrible one being squats. I didn't even finish the workout, I couldn't do it, my body wasn't cooperating at all. The rest of the week was bad, my body was tighter than it had been in a long time and I was even more uncomfortable than usual. Come the weekend and I am doing my stretches and things start to mesh! Suddenly I am able to get into my glute muscles and actually work them, and they were angry! In the period of about 2 hours I got my glutes to relax, them my abs started to relax, then I got to feel my diaphragm for the first time in my life! I was super excited at this point but kept on working! My ribs started to open and I was able to move more naturally, then I got my scapula to release and separate from the sub-scapula and for the first time in my life, my shoulders fully externally rotated as my scapula got out of the way, instead of being stuck down to my body and preventing the proper range of motion.

At this point I was practically bouncing with excitement! I went to the other room to show my wife and kept stretching, and for the first time in my life, I was able to bend over and touch my toes! I can remember being a young kid and not being able to do this, not even sitting on the ground could I touch them, now I was able to do it with minimal effort!

The next part needs a little explanation, cause if someone can even comprehend how screwed up my body was from all the previous stuff, the next part was a shocker to even my wife who knows how messed up I was. When I was born, my left hand had not completed, two fingers were fused and my pointer finger missing the end digit. I had great surgeons and lived my life using my hand “as normal”.Well normal has now changed! For the first time in my 40 years, I was able to wiggle my fingers on my left hand and move them all independently! Previously they would move like 2 sets of two, now I was able to make a finger wave! I spent about an hour just working my hand and forearm before this happened, I swear my body decided it was going to cooperate and was just leading me to the next place to work that night.

Along with that came feeling, the nerve sensation in my hand is greatly improved along with a serious flood of emotions that eventually took over. There is no way to explain how I felt, hell I felt it and I didn't even believe it was possible, then to suddenly have use of muscles that have not functioned in my entire life, well hell, its a lot to take in! This week I am of course sore, and my muscles are tight, but seeing what was possible, if only for a couple hours, has taken my excitement and motivation to levels never felt before! Tonight is squat night, and I have a feeling it is going to go way better than the last one!

I tried to keep this short, but holy crap, there is so much I want to say, so many changes, and I know most people don't give a flying crap, so I hope if nothing else, I can give someone some motivation to work through their issues!